The Things We Lost this Summer
by ICanReadYouLikeABook
Summary: Clark and Chloe are ready for the summer of their lives, but along the way things start happening that could change their fate - and their prospective - forever. Things are about to be lost and gained this summer. Chlark
1. Prolouge

**Title: **The Things We Lost this Summer

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/Drama

**Characters: **Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan

**Setting: **Intermission between Season 7 and 8, haha

**Author's Note: **You would think for someone who wasn't planning on doing anything but sitting infront of the TV and eating this summer would take the liberty and initiative to give something back to the 20 people who have Author Alerts on me. Then again, I haven't been on this site in who knows how long, but hey, that's not important! : Anyways, I got my inspiration from Bitter:Sweet and the fact that summer's a time for romance and every character on American television lets loose, haha. So forgive me for the long delay and forgive me for any future delays too, sit back, and get to readin'. XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy! :D

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**-Prolouge-**

There were two things she noticed when she walked up the old, wooden stairs of the Fortress of Solitude

One, his favorite picture of Lana was lying on the floor, the glass and frame in pieces and (she swears) an unhappy demeanor on her face. She frowned disapprovingly and turned to find her favorite alien sitting on the couch.

The second thing she had noticed was him himself. He sat in a grey cotton t-shirt and faded jeans used usually for farm work and chores. The shirt was perfect for him, considering it matched everything else on his body, like the slumped-over figure he used to sit and the defeated, grey eyes that seemed to be tired and sadder than anything she'd ever had the displeasure to meet.

There was nothing she could think to say that could possibly help anything, and the only English that managed to escape past her lips was a mournful "Oh, Clark," full of pity and sadness.

"Oh Clark, what?" he demanded quietly keeping his eyes on his folded hands, the floor, or perhaps his old boots. It was a time where he was looking, staring perhaps, but definitely not seeing anything that was actually there.

She paused for a moment, thinking over the next move before she spoke.

"Any room on the couch for me?" she asked. Without a noise, he moved over a bit, finally looking into her eyes.

'You're always welcome where I am, Chloe' they seemed to say to her. She smiled a bit.

"So today's the first day of summer," she said absent-mindedly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Which means we're gonna party every day until you-"

"- can stop thinking about her?" An uncomfortable silence settled on top of the two. She cleared her throat a bit.

"I was going to say puke, but uh…" She sighed. This would be harder than she thought.

"Look Clark, I'm not here to talk about everything that went wrong between you and Lana, and I hope to God she's coming back from wherever the hell she is, but…" her voice grew quiet and she shook her head sadly. "Anyone who would do something that horrible to you doesn't deserve a penny of your thoughts."

She brushed her hand over his very softly. "She doesn't deserve _you_."

She kissed him softly on his jawbone, causing a shock up his spine. It was an innocent act of kindness and friendliness if anyone wouldn't have given a second thought about it, but Clark was Clark and he couldn't help but think about the way it had felt against his skin.

"Tomorrow we go swimming; at the lake; two o'clock; don't be late," she whispered in his ear.

She stood up to leave, her hand on his shoulder, sliding down and off of his hands. And just like that, she was gone, leaving Clark to wonder about many different things. As he stared at his hands/feet/floor once again, the reality of it all really struck him.

It was summer.

And Chloe Sullivan was going to make him enjoy it.

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Ok so leave a review because I KNOW this is too short and too bad to even start out a story and I KNOW that this prolly sucks but hey, gimme a chance to shake off the rust on my fingers and keyboard. No reviews, no continues cuz that obviously means no one cares about this. haha XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers, r&r!


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **So this story is going to be ah-mazin' (as long as I finish it, haha) and I really think we're both going to enjoy it. Wish me luck and hope this turns out as awesome as the story floating around in my head. XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy!

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"You're late."

Clark bit his lip and a look of remorse came across his face.

"Farmer Simmin's field of crops caught on fire and he was practically knocked out upstairs in his bed asleep to even notice because I heard after his wife passed away he's been having trouble with his heart and has to take medication that makes him drowsy which explains why he was knocked out and, and-"

"It's alright, Clark. Too much information that I _still_ don't understand," she insisted, holding a hand up that had been used to cut him off.

She was reclining on a beach chair, her body a suprisingly tan shade for only the first day of summer, but it was the swimsuit that caught his eye. She wore a sexy, metallic black two-piece that had some of the male citizens slowing down their jog to get a look. Feeling a pang of something strange in him, he gave them dirty looks, warning them to continue on their way.

It was different for Chloe, the way she had been since summer had arrived. Last night she had kissed him on the cheek, and even though it was friendly, it sure was bold for someone who had enough ak-_weird_ relationship problems with him to cause a rift between them.

_'She's just trying to break the rift,'_ he decided to himself. That would explain her demeanor around him. She was no longer careful, no longer being sure she wasn't about to set anything off or cause a bad conversation. Still...she usually hid behind a towel in a conservative one-piece while Lois would prance around in a string bikini. She hadn't been this bold since the middle of high school.

"Ready to hit the fish pee?" she said, patiently waiting for him to finish his enigmatic thoughts. He laughed.

She had no clue what he was thinking, but she hoped and prayed it had something to do with her new bathing suit she'd spent a good third of her good paycheck on. _'Easy, Chloe. This summer is about repairing relationships, not starting up more weirdness between you two. Keep it friendly and he'll keep it in his pants.'_ That gave her a small smirk on her face.

"Yeah. I'm good."

She gave him a wide, pearly smile. "Good." She suddenly sprang up and jumped on his back, sending them both into laughter. He easily held her weight as she wrapped her legs around his torso and her arms loosely around his neck. It'd be practically impossible to fall off of him accidentially. He was too powerful to ever let that happen.

He jogged into the deepest end of the water he could stand in and untangled her arms and legs, sending her tumbling into the water with a scream. For a good amount of time, she did not come up and a wave of worry came over him.

"Chloe?"

All of a sudden, she popped out of the water and tackled him, his instincts telling him to catch her. He fell off balance from the suprise attack and stumbled backwards a couple of feet before he sent them both crashing into the shallow mix of water and sand.

There was a tangle of arms and legs and more laughter than anything.

"Ow!" Chloe cried, still laughing, and swatted him on his arm. That's when Clark noticed the position they had landed in. He was on his back, one elbow propped up to keep him above the water and another wrapped around her waist. She was straddling his torso, one hand on his hip and another draped over his elevated shoulder. She lay flat against him, her head lying on his propped-up shoulder, still giggling to stop and notice the sexual tension building.

Finally she stopped, wondering why he was staring at her so fearfully.

"What?" she asked softly.

What was he supposed to say? This is akward? Do you feel any tension? Have you noticed the jealous men wanting to beat me up because of our position?

All he could do is muster up a look of mischeif and flip her over, causing her to scream and laugh again. She sat up immediately.

"Today you die, Kent," she declared, and pounced.

* * *

They walked back together, Clark's arm around her waist, Chloe's arm around his. They kept it as friendly as possible, though no one could possibly forget the body contact they had experienced that day. They had fun; friendly, platonic fun and that was it, they decided as they looked at the setting sun.

"Want a ride home? I'm guessing you walked," she said, noticing he stood by her car leisurely as if he was waiting for his ride to come for him.

"As long as you promise to spend the night."

Chloe went white. "Wh-what?" she stammered. Spend the night? He couldn't _possibly_ be implying...

He gave her a confused look. "Yeah. You can go straight to the farm and borrow something of Lois's if you want and we can get something to eat- like old times."

A sigh of relief (and maybe a tiny bit of dissapointment) left her body. Old times involved no intercourse whatsoever. "Yeah...yeah. Like old times." She gave him a small smile.

They climbed in her tiny Yarris, cranked up the stereo, and headed home.

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**Author's Note: **I think it's really evolving and getting better. Next chapter is the sleepover, but here's a hint: it's _nothing _like old times. This one's gonna be hotter. ; XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers, R&R!


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys so effing much for sticking by me in my time of need, because we all know I haven't been writing shit compared to my full potential. Pray for me, haha. Thanks for the criticism, thanks for the reviews, and thanks for your forgiveness. I know I'm as far away from my writing apex as possible. The rust on my keyboard is coming of slowly but surely...XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy!

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There were times when she would catch him staring at her.

No, not in the _'I love you, can't you see?_' way, something she wanted and didn't want at the same time, but in such a different way. Whenever they made eye contact, his eyes seemed to be analyzing her, as if they had definitely noticed her obvious changes in personality, and she had the feeling she was pushing him away by her bold advances. It was then she knew he had noticed how different she was acting this summer.

Was the swimsuit too much? Yeah, maybe. Had the kiss been smudging the line? Probably so. It wasn't fair that all she wanted was her friend back. It was like she was the only one who was actually trying to go back to the past, where things we're still messy, but at a lot lower level. They'd hug and kiss each other all the time and thought nothing of it.

Then again, things had always been strange between them after that heartbreaking day on the football field, where she had poured her heart out and received a "No." and a pitying little pat on the head.

Why should she go back to times where she could walk down the hallway with him in a skimpy skirt and v-neck tee and the statement said nothing but _'This is me, Chloe Sullivan and this is my style_'? In this day and time, Clark Kent would be blushing so furiously his cheeks might as well be on fire.

Why should she go back to a time where any romantic advances would never be acknowledged? Then again, why would she make any advances on him now? Clark was Clark, and she had a strong belief in her heart that the only thing destined between them was friendship.

The car ride was mostly a quiet one, due to the fact that the two were both lost in their own thoughts. The only sounds were the singing on the radio and the occasional line or two that Chloe would sing along to.

Who was she kidding? She wasn't, and would never be, 17 again. Their time for a comfortable friendship had passed, and they were too old to be able to act the way they had acted around each other without causing discomfort. Maybe if they were 2 years old they could run around half naked and everything would be okay, but it was a different story now.

After a silent eternity, they pulled into the dusty driveway and climbed out of the car. As Clark walked up the pathway and into his home, Chloe hastily pulled out a pair of khaki shorts from her beach bag, instantly regretting buying them due to the fact only teenagers and a few anorexic women could pull off the Abercrombie-like shortness of them, and slipped them on over her swimsuit bottoms.

She walked into the house after Clark as fast as she could to prevent any suspicion of what she was doing out there that could possibly delay her. Hopping onto the kitchen counter top with a high-energy demeanor, she kicked her feet back and forth and stared at him with a small smile.

"Well?" she asked him.

"Well what?" he replied, returning her smile with a curious one.

"Well you can't expect me to just sit on this counter all night. Entertain me, like old times sake."

He laughed a bit. "Are you suggesting a game of truth or dare?"

She snorted. "Hell no. You and Pete got a little too creative every time and it all goes downhill for me."

He made his way to the kitchen. "Ah, but that's what made it all so fun."

Chloe sat in a comfortable silence as Clark pulled out a bag of popcorn out of the pantry and began to unwrap the plastic. Suddenly he stopped and put the bag down.

He faced her, his features hard, his eyebrows furrowed, and whole face etched in concentration.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered a bit.

Chloe was instantly confused as she strained to hear whatever it was that was upsetting him. She shook her head and hopped off the counter.

"No," she said quietly. "What? What is it?"

Clark walked towards the door a bit. "Mom isn't supposed to be home 'till the fall...Someone's coming." he mumbled.

Chloe smirked. "Well, I'm guessing you haven't had many visitors lately, Clark, because for some very weird reason, this whole experience is stressing you."

Then she heard it. A car's tires ran across the dirt driveway and the sound of a car door slammed shut. It wasn't till a couple seconds later she heard footsteps on the porch steps. Then, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Clark called out.

"Me," was all the person said, sounding oddly familiar. It was soft and feminine, yet clear and loud at the same time.

They had never forgotten that voice, and a flood of emotions washed over them both.

Clark opened the door, and all hell broke loose.

"I'm sorry for the short notice," she said as she came in the house immediately, "but I had to see you, Clark."

Of course, Chloe wasn't even acknowledged.

Clark couldn't speak. He could barely think, in fact, so Chloe was the one to speak up for the both of them.

"Lana," she said suprisingly, her voice with a more of a bitter side than she had intended. "What are _you_ doing here?"

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**Author's note: **So idrk if I should've brought Lana back or not. Please review with any cricizm, suggestions, comments, and ideas. All are welcome, trust me. XOXO love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry for this long delay. Please forgive me and thank you guys so much for sticking with it. Finally camp is over and I'll be able to focus on this again :). Again, I really apologize, but hopefully you'll find this next chapter totally kickass. I read a lot of comments about how much Lana sucks, but don't fear too much...except for in this chapter. You've been warned! XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy!

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Lana frowned at her softly. "I'm here to visit Clark," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Chloe's insides stirred. Did she have no clue how much misery and hell she had unleashed with that damned tape a couple months ago? How could she just disappear for a long couple of months without a sign that she was even alive? She clenched her fists and slowly opened them, inhaling and exhaling softly to calm herself down.

"Lana, where have you been for almost 3 months? You've had us worried sick!" Chloe questioned her, trying to keep the anger out of her voice by adding the kind little sentence at the end.

It was as if Chloe was the voice for Clark, which was currently inactive right now. He could barely wrap his head around the current events. Lana. Was. Actually. Back.

Many nights he had spent tossing and turning, wondering if it was over for good. Every night grew longer as he spent hour after hour simply wondering and hoping if she was okay. He thought about going after her many times, but to where? Where could she even be? He cringed at the thought that she was not as safe with him constantly knowing where she was, and now she was here right in front of him.

He didn't even know what he felt. There was so much anger, relief, happiness, and confusion washing over him all at once he could barely move or speak. So he just watched the events unfolding in front of him as Chloe battled for him like a guardian angel, a real warrior, yet still trying to keep peace. Gratitude. That emotion, he realized, was washing over him, too.

Lana looked at Chloe as if she had no right to be asking these questions.

"Away...thinking things over. Can I please talk to Clark alone for a second," Lana told her with little kindness. Frankly, she was losing her patience. She was not here to see Chloe. Who was she to be jumping in for Clark when he could easily speak for himself?

Chloe paused, anger slowly swallowing up. She blinked and looked at Lana insistently to hold it back. "Lana, I think that anything you need to say can be said in front of me, too, considering I deserve answers just as much as Clark does."

That did it for Lana. "This doesn't concern you, Chloe, and I didn't drive all the way out from Metropolis just to argue with you."

"Oh, so you've been in Metropolis all this time," Chloe said, as if Lana was the sorriest, most pathetic thing on Earth.

Chloe was swallowed up in anger and before she had the chance to really tell Lana what was on her mind, Clark miraculously found his voice as the angry tones woke him up from his stupor.

"Why don't we all talk about it? Together. Everyone. In the living room," he said pleadingly, holding his hands up and out on either side of him, as if he was holding the two back from pouncing on each other.

Lana looked up at the ceiling for a second and licked her lips. "No Clark, I don't think thats such a good idea," she said blinking at him angrily, frustration clear in her voice. "Why don't _we_ go talk in the living room while C_hloe_ stays here like she should," she said angrily.

Chloe just about snapped. "Like I should? Like I _should_?" Chloe laughed a bit and took a step towards her. "Lana I don't think you understand the hell that you've caused over these months. I don't know _what _you're thinking of saying to Clark, but I assure you, it _will_ involve me."

For a second, the room was quiet. For a second, no one spoke. And for a second, Lana Lang feared Chloe Sullivan. And it all evaporated.

"Chloe you have no business involving yourself in something between me and Clark! You're not part of this and you've never been...ever."

Chloe was taken aback by Lana. Something told her when Lana said 'ever', it didn't mean just this month. Was she bringing up the fact that she was never a part of them, never a part of everything they had?

Was she dangling the fact that she was always a third wheel in her face? Chloe had always felt that way sometimes, and perhaps Lana knew it too. But how could Lana ever _admit_ it?

Clark had picked up on it, too, and for a moment, Chloe's strong, angry flame also burned inside him. Yet, Clark wasn't the type to get verbally angry as fast as Chloe did, so he took a deep breath to keep the fire down.

But he knew after this point in time, Chloe would always be on his side, a place where Lana could never go.

Always.

"Lana, maybe you really don't have to take this somewhere else," he said firmly, but still in a way that asked her for permission to discuss it with Chloe.

She laughed in disbelief. "Ar-are you kidding me," she cried. "Are you really going to just talk about all of our relationship problems for her to hear? You're not ashamed of that?"

The flame in Clark errupted. He felt like he was burning in the fire, his heart burning also. Ashamed? When was he ever ashamed to talk to Chloe about anything and everything?

"Chloe is my best friend and not once was I _ever_ ashamed when I had to go to her just to hear her say its going to be okay. Not _once_ was I ashamed to have her fill a place that you almost _destroyed_, Lana."

And all Chloe could do was smile, because she knew she had fell in love all over again.

"I go where this conversation goes, Lana," she said simply, looking her dead in the eye.

"There'll be no conversation," she declared icily. She turned to Clark, the one who had caused her so much drama and stress over the past years. The one who had her going crazy with the hold he had on her. The one who had never let her go, even when she left.

And she knew this was the time to cut the string. There'd be no coming back at this point.

"This is why I left you again, Clark. Not because of what I said on that tape but because you're too damn stubborn to ever see or hear what you _really_ need to know. You have to have people constanly behind you or you fall apart- you do every time I tell you I need some space. And I can't be with someone who finally told me probably the _biggest_ secret in the world, yet you can't even have a private conversation with me without having to have someone there with you to hold your hand. And being a clingy little baby- that's another thing." She walked to the door.

"Have fun with your sidekick," she muttered, and left, never looking back.

Releif. Happiness. Elation. It all washed over him before his heart broke in two. He just looked at Chloe. Just looked at her.

"She's really gone now," he said with a sad smile, his voice weak.

With just a look at him, Chloe's heart broke in two, too.

He looked away. "She's really gone now..."

In a flash, a gust of wind whooshed through the hall, a faint blur rushed through the front door, and before she realized what just happened, Clark was gone.

"Oh Clark..." Chloe whispered to the emptiness. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she swallowed back her emotions. "Oh Clark..."

She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor in a sad heap.

Why is it that every time Lana comes back from wherever the hell she ran away to, she always causes hell between everyone? Why?

It just wasn't fair...it just wasn't fair.

And for the first time in a long time, she cried.

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**Author's Note: **A lot of you were worried about Lana ruining everything...well, there you go, haha. But not necessarily everything was ruined...Clark and Chloe are just...well you'll have to read the next chapter to find out. XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers!


	5. Chapter 4

**AuThOrS nOtE (aGaIn, YeS)- **Sorry for the delay, guys. I've been beta reading for the first time in my life for peterpan27 (luv her, check out her Smallville story and r&r plz), so yeah, I guess you can say I've been a bit occupied. I've been getting a lot of reviews about how bitchy Lana is...why are y'all so surprised!? Hahaha, I guess you can tell I've hated her for quite awhile...XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy!!

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Wherever he was going (which only God knew), there was only two thing no one could question: he would get there, and he would get there _fast_.

When he finally stopped, he found himself in the middle of a cornfield, rows and rows of corn encompassing him like an old friend. There was a sign close by: _'Welcome to Marshalltown, Iowa- Population 26,010.' _

So he was in Iowa, huh? For a second, he had thought he was still in Kansas. He didn't care though...he didn't seem to care about anything anymore.

Except for the two things he left behind in Kansas...

He sank to the ground to think.

She would still be there whenever he got back, waiting for him patiently like she always did. He'd come home and sob in her lap, and she'd tell him that Lana was a bitch, a terrible Ice Queen Bitch for what she did, and he'd agree. She'd kiss his forehead, and he would feel all better.

Why were things _never_ different?

The other person would be driving off, probably back to her hideout in Metropolis. She'd burn every picture she had of him. If it was a group picture, she'd simply cut his face out and glue in the head of Lex Luthor...and _then_ she'd burn it. Then she'd do something girly, like eat a whole pint of ice cream and watch Lifetime on TV.

That didn't surprise him. Lana was Lana, and she'd never change. If she ever came back, she'd capture his heart, treat it well for a good couple of months, and then throw it away and leave again.

Clark felt so naive for falling for her constantly. Why did he?

Because no matter what, she'd always have a place in his heart.

For the first time in a long time, the tears began to fall, slowly but surely, down his tanned cheeks. He even let himself sob a little bit before he wiped them away. He lay down in the soft earth, closed his eyes, and suddenly the tears began to stop.

This was okay for now.

It would be okay.

* * *

She waited as long as she could for him to come back.

She tried to be patient, she really did, but patience was hard to find these days and the little she had was wearing thin.

'_Oh Clark_,' she thought to herself bitterly, _'I don't have forever for you to be a baby. Wherever you are...just come back.' _

For her, staying at the farm seemed like forever. She had waited for him, doing the chores she knew about the best she could. She acted as if Clark was about to burst through the door with an apology in his mouth and flowers in his hand.

She really smirked at that reoccurring thought.

Two days had passed before she got her keys and bag and drove away.

Chloe had always been patient with him. Always. Yet, this is what she got for it: tears, worry, and a heartache that only he would be able to take away.

* * *

Clark opened the door, breaking the lock, and looked around for a sign of life.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Her keys and purse were gone, and so was she.

He checked around back, noticing she had left all the animals enough food to live a good couple of days. Obviously, she wasn't expecting him to come back anytime soon. That irritated him a bit.

She could've at least _waited_ for him.

It was still light outside, but the clock on the wall told him it was 6:32. If she had went back to Metropolis, she'd be home right now- thinking of him, maybe?

Hopefully.

That was all he wanted right now. He wanted her to still want him, because lately it seemed like no one else did.

He sped off, heading north, where Chloe could be.

Finally, he reached his destination, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. As soon as she opened it, the sight of each other took _both_ of their breath away.

There she was in a low-cut tank top the color of her eyes and those same Abercrombie-style shorts, staring at him as if he was a ghost.

He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, and he was looking at her as if she had two wings on her back.

"Cl..." she tried to say, but it instantly left her lips.

She threw his arms around him in a tight hug, and he wrapped his arms around her hesitantly. For a second, he had expected her to pounce on him and stab him with a knife of kryptonite.

Finally, she removed himself and looked him over. He guessed he looked pretty bad, the way her eyes ran over him like they did.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, softly, holding the door open for him so he could enter the lofty apartment.

"Iowa," he said, knowing he made no sense whatsoever.

"I ran...and landed in Iowa...a-and then I came back to the farm..." He fixed his eyes on her sternly. "...and you weren't there."

She gave him an 'it's not my fault, whatsoever' look. "Clark, I couldn't stay over there forever! Who knew when you were coming back? I stayed as long as I could, but I couldn't wait forever, Clark."

That confused him. "What do you mean? Chloe, I came right back!"

That confused _her_. "Clark..." she shook her head. "You've been gone for about three days. I left after two and hadn't heard from you since."

Clark felt sick. All he remembered was closing his eyes...could a man really sleep for two days straight? Probably not, but maybe a Kryptonian could...

"Are you okay? Do you feel alright?" She stepped towards him and pressed her hand onto his forehead. It seemed to melt away whatever strangeness he was feeling, and he closed his eyes, cherishing her touch.

She gave him a weird look and quickly removed her hand. "You feel fine. Of course...you don't get sick, I forgot. You wanna take a shower? I have one of your shirts..." she looked around for a second, then went to her bedroom, returning with a flannel shirt in her hand.

"Why do you have my shirt?"

She blushed. "I had taken a shower at the farm and instead of putting back on the same clothes two days in a row...I thought it'd be okay. Feel fee to take it with you when you leave tomorrow, but you'll be staying here tonight."

He just looked at her, smiling at the way she was so angelic. She was his hero, really.

"What?"

He shrugged.

"Well whatever it is, stop. You're creeping me out."

She went back into her bedroom and presented him with a pair of drawstring boxers. "Here," she said, tossing them at him, and he caught them easily. "Surprisingly, they fit me very well once you tighten the drawstring well enough."

Chloe. Sullivan. In. His. Boxers.

Oh shit.

"Uh, thanks," he told her, and went into the bathroom.

_'He's probably starving,'_ she thought, and made her way to the kitchen. Chloe knew he normally ate like a horse, but a starving one? He'd clean out her fridge.

She got out a coupon and ordered up three boxes of medium pizzas instead. She opened up a new 2-liter bottle of soda, turned on the TV, and by the time he came out of the shower, she was laying down comfortably on the sofa, watching _Supernatural._

She sat up when she heard him coming. "I ordered pizza. I know you're probably dying from starvation," she looked at him and smirked. "-if that's even possible for you to die in only three days."

He sat down next to her. "You hate this show," he said observantly.

"Yeah, but it just came on, right after Littletown, my favorite show."

He shrugged at that. The doorbell rang; she switched off the TV and went to accept the pizza. She laid the boxes on the floor, flipped the top box open, and grabbed a slice; she was so busy trying to shake off the stray stings of cheese that wouldn't break off that she didn't notice Clark staring at her.

No, not in the 'you're so hot' way, but something totally different.

When she looked up, she froze. "What?" she demanded. "You've been staring at me since you got here!"

"Thank you," he said simply.

She just gave him a look. "For what?"

"For staying with me during that whole Lana episode. For waiting for me for two days straight, even though I was off in the middle of a cornfield, being an ass. For not being so pissed off that you couldn't even let me in your apartment." He picked up a slice. "Thanks for the pizza, too."

She smiled at him. "Well, I guess I pretty much owe you for sticking up for me. And while we're at it, let me just thank you for saving my life multiple times, _and _for that time you stalled the teacher in the hallway for ten minutes because you knew I was running late." She eyed him. "That's what we're supposed to do for each other, Clark, so we might as well think nothing of it."

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two, so Clark flipped back on the TV and tossed the remote into her lap, indicating she could change the channel to whatever she wanted. To his surprise, she turned it off.

"Clark, we have to talk, and you know it," she said with a sigh.

He just looked at her and continued to fill his mouth with pizza, purposely preventing him to talk.

"Clark, put the pizza down and just...look at me, at least," she said softly. "I just want to know how you really feel about things. I don't want all this to stick with you all summer."

He chewed a bit more, and she waited patiently to finish up. He swallowed and looked away from her. "What do you want to know then," he mumbled, not really wanting to bring up something so dark when he was in such a good mood.

She gave him an impatient look. "Well if you want to be like this, lets just dive right in. How about...how would you feel if she came back to you, wanting to start another relationship?"

He felt a pang of pain in his heart. Dodging the boxes and half-eaten crusts on the floor, she got up and sat next to him, putting her hand on his.

"Don't tell me what you think I want to hear, Clark. Really, it's okay," she told him softly. "Really."

He shook his head a bit and looked off into the distance. "Honestly...I don't even know, Chloe. I really don't."

She nodded. "And for now, that's okay, Clark; but knowing Lana, she just might come back. Do you still think you'd want to start something with her again?"

"I don't know," he admitted.

She sighed at him. "Do you still love her?"

He looked at her quickly before looking away.

"...Yeah, a little." he whispered, knowing her heart was breaking. Clark knew how Chloe had felt about him, but even though it wasn't clear how she felt now, he didn't like risking it by constantly gushing about Lana every second; he _especially_ didn't like admitting to her now that he was still in love with her, even though Lana now occupied only a tiny spot in his heart.

Yet, there was a little something growing in his heart, too, and Chloe was occupying it.

Chloe quickly removed her hand as if he was fire. She nodded respectfully at his response. "That's okay, too, Clark..." she said quietly. "But what do you mean a little bit? Is it fading?"

He shrugged impatiently and stood up. "I don't know, Chloe, I don't _know_ anymore..."

Chloe was impatient, too, and stood up next to him. "Well then why did you have an emotional breakdown for three days straight, Clark? Tell me that!"

_'Tell me why you act like she means so much to you, when you lie to me and tell me she's only a little speck in your heart now?'_ she thought to herself angrily. _'Tell me why you're leading me on, and you know it!'_

"It's a little difficult to just let something that you've loved ever since you were seven go, Chloe!" He said, raising your voice.

"Well most people don't run so far they land in another state, and then spend the night there in a _cornfield_ for three days; for god's sake, Clark!"

He looked at her angrily. "Why are you still caught up on that? I thought you were over it already," he said accusingly.

"It's a little difficult to just let something that you've lov-" she caught herself quickly. "-care a whole lot about just leave you for three days. You could've been on silver kryptonite and even _you_ wouldn't have known," she cried, putting her hands on her hips.

Clark looked her in the eyes, and for the first time, he realized how much trouble and fear he had really caused her.

"I don't know what to do anymore when an apology isn't enough," he told her quietly. "I don't know what to do anymore, period."

Her hands dropped to her side, and she threw them up a bit in a questioning manner. "And I don't know what to do when you can't even open up to me anymore, Clark. Do you love her or not, Clark?" she asked him, softly but sternly.

"I can't tell anymore."

She scoffed at him. "And why is that?"

"Because..." he said, looking at her, and Chloe sensed what he wanted to stay.

She looked away. "Let me guess, Clark: I'm starting to grow on you a little bit," she asked sarcastically.

He just looked at her, his eyes saying yes.

She just shook her head. "You're obviously still traumatized, completely delusional, or looking for someone to pour all your emotions into...well I don't want to be that someone, Clark. I don't want any part of this."

She went to the linen closet and pulled out a couple blankets and a pillow, tossing them onto the couch.

"Bed," she said, indicating the couch. "Goodnight."

**(12:00 PM) **

Chloe couldn't sleep. There were so many thoughts swimming in her head she couldn't even close her eyes. Her body was screaming for her to relieve all the exhaustion she had been through, but she just couldn't, even though she had tried many times.

Clark Kent was always there when at times she wished he wasn't.

She closed her eyes and began to doze lightly, still not quite asleep, when she felt someone rustling the sheets. A figure had found it's way into her bed, wrapping their arms around Chloe and pulling her closer.

"Clark?" she mumbled, and he kissed her forehead.

"I'm not leaving anytime soon, Chlo'," he whispered to her.

Suddenly, it was very easy for her to fall asleep.

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**Author's Note: **Well, what'd you think? Let me know by reviewing, maybe? :)


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **I thought I'd give y'all a little more time to review and stuff, but obviously y'all aren't...so let's just put it this way- the longer it takes for reviews to come in, the longer it takes to update, because I don't want to keep working on a story that no one's interested it. No, I'm not being a bitch or anything. I'm just really occupied with beta-ing and different things, and I don't want to put in too much time on something (this) that's not really worth it, so yeah. I love you guys for sticking with me through all the delays, though, and without you guys, this story would've just been a little something in my head. XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy!!

* * *

Nothing had happened that night.

It might has well have, though, the way Clark's arm was draped protectively over her as he held her in his sleep, softly spooning her. Their bodies fit together perfectly, like two pieces in a puzzle, and whatever picture it was forming, they both liked it.

Chloe blinked, her eyes opening and trying to adjust to the brilliant sunlight. The golden rays fell across them, illuminating her and Clark.

She slowly untangled herself from Clark's arms to turn the opposite way, facing him. He felt the change and began to stir, blinking like Chloe did to adjust, and woke up to her beautiful face.

It was that moment he knew Chloe had a place in his heart much larger that Lana's could and ever would be.

They smiled at each other as their eyes met.

"Sneaking into my bed, Mr. Kent?" she asked him softly, thanking God for not having her usual raspy 'morning voice'.

"Your couch isn't exactly heaven, Mrs. Sullivan," he quipped.

"But my bed is? Or is that because I'm in it?"

They both blushed, laughing softly.

His demeanor turned serious. "I heard you last night, moving around as if you were being eaten alive. You couldn't sleep, could you?"

"Well, neither could you, since you heard me," she said a bit defensively.

_'No, Clark, I wasn't thinking about you,'_ she wanted to yell at him. 

Even though that would be a lie.

She sat up, no longer facing towards him, and he did the same, too.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I've had enough of your guessing," she whispered to herself, climbing out of the bed. Clark reached out and pulled her hand back.

"Just stay...please," he begged her. "I just want you to stay for a second."

He wanted her to stay? With that, Chloe couldn't refuse. She slid back into the covers facing him, propping her head up by putting her arm on the pillow.

He laid his head back on the pillow and faced her. "I know I've been an asshole, Chloe, and I know I probably still am." She put her arm down and laid her head on the pillow.

"I didn't mean to upset you when I couldn't figure out if I was still in love with Lana; and I couldn't help but agree when you asked me if you were growing on me...because you are-" he said, whispering the last part.

She just wanted to cry. This was what she always wanted, yet she knew he was still clouded in judgment. It was a mistake the moment he wrapped his arms around her and said he would never leave.

Because in her heart, he really _would_ never leave.

He leaned over her. "-and I love every second of it."

He kissed her, her eyes fluttering open with surprise and her body tensing up quickly, but she relaxed just as quickly. She made a soft noise before her senses flooded her, and in an instant she knew this was all wrong.

She pulled away from under him, sitting up on the every opposite side of the bed, ready to climb out whenever she needed to.

"What if I don't want to grow on you, Clark? What if I don't want to put myself in this vulnerable position? Is that such a bad thing?"

"Chloe-" he said, reaching his arm out to touch her hand, but she pulled away.

"No. I don't have you, and I don't think I ever will. She just left you Clark, and she took your heart with her, I know it."

"That's not true!" he interjected.

"Then why the _fuck_ did you leave for three days?" she yelled at him, removing herself from the bed. She walked out the room briskly, but he easily followed her.

"It's not that easy to just let her go the moment she walks out the door, Chloe," he said, matching her anger. They stopped in the living room.

"And it's not that easy to just let her go after a sleepover in a cornfield, Clark." she looked away, folding her arms. "It took me years to just realize the fact that I could never have you, Clark...never _really_ have you." She looked at him, shaking her head.

"Lana had all of you, Clark. It's going to take a little longer than a couple of days to get it all back. And until then...I just want to be there for you, by your side as a friend. You know we're both not ready for anything."

He opened his mouth to say anything, but no magic words came out. Nothing he said, or didn't say, made the conversation any better.

She walked to the door and held it open for him. "Let's just pretend this never happened, Clark. I know you're good at that with Lana."

He couldn't move.

"Really, Clark. I'll see you later. The world's not over," she said, her voice rising.

_'How can you be so sure, Chloe?'_ he wanted to say, but that would only make matters worse. He walked into the doorway. With one last pause, he tried to meet her eyes, but she quickly looked away.

"It's not all over, Clark. I'll still be your best friend, always there for you."

He smirked. "You weren't there for me this time, Chloe."

He left her, and she shut the door.

'This was a disaster- a fucking _disaster_.' she thought to herself in anguish. She made her way back into her room and climbed onto the spot in the bed where he once lay.

She could smell him. Hell, she could still _feel_ him, his arms around her so protectively all night, wanting her to get some rest.

All he wanted was some happiness, for him, _and_ her, she realized as she remembered the soft pressure of his lips on hers. She knew he just wanted everyone to be happy, but he thought this was the only way how.

It wasn't, she knew. Kissing away her problems wouldn't diffuse any situation. Sure, it eased her pain for a second, but the pain was still there. It was nice to have a place in his heart, but they were not ready to actually acknowledge it.

She curled up, breathing in his scent as her tears were absorbed by the bedsheets.

He was right about one thing, though:

He sure was an asshole.

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**Author's Note: **Short chapter, I know, but I didn't really know what to do after Clark left, so I just let Chloe think a little bit and cry. This is sad, I know, and Clark is just not doing the right thing, even though he's trying. The next chapter is very soon to follow, since this one was so freakin' short. XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers! -T


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Ok, so to be honest, this story has not crossed my mind since I put in chapter 5. Forgive me though, I just got into the Twilight series and couldn't stop reading until I finished the very last and fourth book. I'm so sorry for the delay this has caused- Stephenie Meyer should be burned at the stake for it. Haha jk, let's not do that- she still has to work on Midnight Sun. Ok, back to Smallville for me...XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers, enjoy! Mwah!

P.S This is Clark's point of view. :D

* * *

It's been three days since I heard her voice.

Three days since the fight.

Three days since she shut the door.

_"What if I don't want to grow on you, Clark? What if I don't want to put myself in this vulnerable position? Is that such a bad thing?"_

_"Chloe-" he said, reaching his arm out to touch her hand, but she pulled away._

_"No. I don't have you, and I don't think I ever will. She just left you Clark, and she took your heart with her, I know it."_

_"That's not true!" he interjected._

_"Then why the fuck did you leave for three days?" _

Three terrible, lonely days. I wanted to go check on her, just to see if she was okay- maybe even ask if she was thinking of me- but I knew better. You wouldn't have let me in. I thought about running over every once in awhile just to see if she had made it home or something, but if I got caught...

That's when I decided that maybe I should just call. Just to see if she'd answer or not, just to see if she sounded as distressed as I felt.

I picked up the phone, listening to the dial tone for a good minute or two. It took me another minute just to dial her number. Of course, I didn't forget it, I just didn't have the nerve to go at normal speed.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three.

"Hello?"

My heart stopped for a second before slowly restarting again. I had to stop to repeat the hello in my head. I hadn't heard it in so long, it sounded like music. I could never stop wanting to hear that voice.

"Clark? Is that you?"

I snapped out of my mentally catatonic state. "Oh. Uhm, yeah..."

There was a slight pause. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey."

There was another awkwardly slight pause. I waited for her to speak, because I knew I sure as hell wasn't going to do it.

"Is there something up?" she asked politely. I knew she was trying to keep from yelling out 'What the hell are you calling me for, loser?'

I hesitated. "I...just wanted to check on you. To see if you're okay."

There was another one of those annoying pauses. Maybe she was as nervous and hesitant as I was.

Maybe.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm... good," I lied through my teeth. Another pause filled the place where I should've been apologizing.

She sighed. "Clark...do you want to get something to eat? A movie? _Something_? I'm dying over here."

I hoped the relief in my voice wasn't as obvious as it sounded in my ears. "I'll be there in 10 minutes," I said quickly and hung up before I could hear a protest.

I had never ran so fast in my life.

**(Chloe)**

He got there in eight.

I never knew Clark's limitations. I always thought death was the only one, as far as pain went. The fastest time he had ever sped over here was ten minutes, yet, eight minutes after he abruptly hung up the phone on me, he was knocking on the door.

I couldn't lie to myself and say it didn't worry me. He had managed to stay away three days before I heard his voice again (which surprised me, truthfully), which made me feel like he actually believed it was best to keep his distance.

As soon as I had woken up from my bed after he left, I had never wanted him more badly in my life. I wanted him to be there for me, to debate this whole thing out. I wanted him to keep trying, even though I would still say 'no'.

I wanted him to still want me.

It worried me, the way he left exactly as I wanted him to; was he really as mad as I was? Was he _still_ mad, even though I wasn't anymore? Yet, he was the first to pick up the phone, something I actually _had_ done- I just never got to the dialing part.

I paced around my apartment for those nerve-wracking eight minutes, grabbing a brush and running it through my hair when I paced past the bathroom, grabbing a cleaner, nicer shirt when I paced past the bedroom.

When I heard the knock on the door, a ripple of fear went down my spine for some reason. I didn't exactly know why. All I knew was when I opened that door, my heart would melt.

I was right.

He looked as nervous as I felt. It was like looking into an emotional mirror. I couldn't help but freeze in the doorway, one hand still on the knob and the other on the doorway frame.

"Chloe," he exhaled, relief written across his too-obvious features.

"Cl-oomph!"

Before I could get out a greeting, his arms were around me.

I laughed a little bit. "It's good to see you, too!" I joked, backing away a little bit. I gave him my best toothy grin- which was an effort to put on. He returned it with a half-grin, which was almost as bad of an attempt as mine.

"You hungry?" he asked hopefully.

"I already ate a couple of hours ago, actually."

I almost took it back because of the crestfallen look on his face.

"Do you want to see a movie?" he tried again.

"The only thing I haven't seen is Wall-E and well...that's not exactly my style," I said sheepishly. I realized that I actually didn't want to go anywhere.

"We could stay here...it could give me a chance to apologize for how much of a jerk I've been," I said quietly, peering out at him from my overgrown bangs.

The look on his face was a bit uncomfortable. "You have nothing to apologize for."

I wanted to protest, actually. I wanted to defend myself by listing off a million different reasons...but I couldn't. Maybe I didn't want to apologize- maybe I wanted to just put it all behind me; to just leave it all and imply that everything was okay now.

I opened my mouth for something brilliant to come out. "I think kicking you out of my apartment without listening to you qualifies as one."

"I think that was a pretty understandable move, Chlo," he said genuinely, looking at me with guilty eyes.

"Well, then do you want everything to just go back to normal without an apology?" I asked him incredulously, not believing it myself.

He raised an eyebrow. "I think this situation is anything _but_ normal, Chloe."

My heart started to flutter, but I kept it cool. I smirked at him, shaking my head and rolling my eyes slightly. "You're not in love with me, Clark," I somehow managed to say skeptically without choking on the words.

There was a flash of many things in in his expression: confusion, anger, annoyance...and something sweet, like when a little kid says something really stupid, but you can't help but think that's the cutest thing you've ever heard.

"Yeah, well...I don't just kiss people for my own entertainment."

Now _I_ was annoyed. "Are you sure?" I said sarcastically.

"Positive," he responded, clearly irritated.

I folded my arms and took a step forward. "You were playing with my emotions, Clark. You didn't expect me to return the gesture."

He challenged my step forward with an even bigger one of his. "What did you think happened, Chloe? I slipped and fell on your face?"

I stepped forward once more, eying him. "I thought a little time apart would clear your head but you're obviously just as insane as you were that morning during the little accident."

His chest softly brushed against mine as he leaned forward, inches from my face.

"Firstly, I'm more sane then ever, and secondly...that wasn't an accident."

My heart began to race as I processed his words, but quickly gave a rebuttal to show I wasn't affected by his empty words.

"Clark Kent sane? Prove it."

In a blur, he grabbed my face in his hands and pulled it to his, crashing his lips against mine. I felt like a hypocrite, questioning his sanity, when in fact, my sanity just flew out the window. It was a long-lost fantasy, the way we were kissing, and in that fantasy my hands would fly around his neck and pull him closer.

Unfortunately, they did.

I quickly realized my mistake and grabbed hold of my actions. My hands quickly jumped off of him, and tried to pull my head away. He wouldn't let me budge though, so I stomped on his foot (yes, it felt like trying to crush concrete, and no, it didn't hurt him at all). He felt the - probably soft- pressure and let me go, his hands back on his sides and a look of glee and surprise on his face.

I meant to dramatically back away, but I could only retreat one two steps.

"You _are_ insane!" I hissed breathlessly, which (to my dismay) took away the acidic effect I was aiming for.

"Well you must be also- you kissed me back!"

"Wh-pfft-I- I did not!" I spluttered, my tone a bit childish. The happy look on his face was so annoying, I wanted to take a piece of kryptonite to his head.

He raised another eyebrow. "Really?" he said disbelievingly.

"Yes Clark, and whatever affection you felt from me must be an affect of your insanity."

"I knew what I was doing."

"Yeah, but you didn't know what _I_ was doing if you feel like I kissed you back!"

"Chloe, you _did_!"

I gave up. "Okay...okay, I did, so what." My tone became very soft, but I looked him straight in the eye. "That doesn't change anything, Clark. That was almost 6 years of pent-up emotions I just released, not a declaration of love for you, Clark."

I preferred the giddy look that was on his face earlier, instead of the new one. His shoulders fell, and the look on his beautiful face was dismay, like a fallen angel. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came.

"Really Clark...did you expect that to fix anything?" I stepped closer to him and softly put my hand on his cheek. His eyes slowly rose from the floor to look into mine.

"I wanted it to...so badly," he whispered to me, the emotions clear in his eyes. "I wanted you to feel the same way I felt, Chloe. I wanted you to want me, the way I wanted you."

I swallowed, my heart thudding. "No...no you didn't."

I refused to believe this Clark, the new Clark who just _possibly_ might want the girl the old Clark had been looking over for years. I had given him my heart once- he didn't take it. I had wanted him to want me the way I wanted him, too...it wasn't fair that he got what he wanted after all this time.

But this wasn't about fairness or revenge. I wouldn't make him wait for me like I waited for him. I just didn't want to be hurt- I didn't want the both of us to be hurt when it didn't work out.

I had dated him for a week- the greatest week of my life, in fact. I remembered the fake smiles he gave me, the little pecks on the cheek when he saw me in the hallways. The way he dated me said 'You make me happy, for now.'

The way he dated Lana always said 'You make me feel so beautiful, always.'

But Lana was gone, and this was my opportunity to fill her shoes.

"I don't want to fill Lana's shoes, Clark. I want my own," I said quietly, looking away and removing my hand.

He seemed to understand. "There's no way I would ever want you to fill her shoes, Chloe. Besides," he put on a weak smile. "her shoes would never be big enough."

I looked at him pathetically. "Was that your attempt to compliment me?"

That made him grin genuinely. "Yeah."

"That was really pathetic."

We both laughed, and he intertwined his hand in mine. "If you don't want me, I'll wait. I'll give you 'till the end of the summer, and when it's over...I'll ask you one more time."

I smiled at him softly. "That'd be nice, Clark. But if we're going to work on staying friends this summer... this is going to have to stop," I teased, holding up our perfectly interlocked hands.

"Who said I was going to work on that?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Clark!" I said impatiently.

"I'll _try_, Chloe. Don't ask for much else."

I scoffed at him. "Some boyfriend you'd be, then."

He gave me a brilliant grin. "You're already thinking about it."

I removed my hand. "_No_, I'm not." I said, irritated again.

It was a lie- a pathetic one, too. In fact, I knew I could would never get it out of my head until the final day came. I'd consider it, debate it, tell myself to say, think, and feel 'no' to the offer...but he'd always have my heart, any way this whole thing turned out.

He shrugged, not debating me once more, but I knew I didn't even put a dent in his ego. I knew it'd be a lot easier to get him to hang out with me though, that was for sure. My heart warmed at that idea.

Time. Time with him. Time to think.

That was all I could ask for.

"You want to still see a movie? I can sit through a Disney film when I have to." I asked him. I wouldn't be paying attention anyway, I knew.

"If it's not your style, Chloe, we can always watch another movie twice."

"Really, I'm in the mood for Wall-E, now," I lied, faking enthusiasm. I wouldn't pay eight dollars for something I had already watched when I wouldn't even be paying attention to it.

"I thought that wasn't your style."

"Things change, Clark."

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Yeah...hopefully they do."

That made my insides turn with nervousness, and I really began to question if he was serious about me or not.

Time.

It was the only thing I'd be getting from Clark this summer, I knew. It was the only friendly thing I'd be allowed to have.

Again- it was all I could ask for.

That was okay with me.

**

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****Author's Note: **So? Hopefully it was worth the wait? Tell me about it, because you know that reviews are much appreciated. How is Clark going to win over Chloe? Have an idea? Have an inspiration for a cute little Chlark moment or an idea for a day they hang out? It just might be featured in this story, with your name on it. :) XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers!


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **I just want to talk to you guys for a little bit...

Shaybay55 brought up a great point: "is lana going to come back??" I'm going to promise myself and you guys that Lana WILL NOT be coming back, even though that would be the greatest test of love for them. Sure, it'd be a good conflict or something, but the last and final conflict that I will bring to them is so terrible, so fatal, you'd probably hate me for it. No, no one's dying...but they might as well be. I'll hold off this terrible fate for a couple more chapters, but in the end, it _will_ come. You've been warned!

Also, the support for this story is so incredible...damn y'all are making me cry. I don't feel like I'm writing a story just to finally complete something longer than 4 chapters...I'm writing this story for you guys. This is all for you, because I love you guys and I love reading your thoughts in your reviews oh so much. Really, without y'all, this is just another crazy idea in my head. You brought this idea to life. I'm dedicating this story to you.

This chapter's going to be lighter and less angsty (hopefully...I'll try, but I'm not promising anything cute and fluffy!) than the previous chapter(s). I don't want anyone to die (haha JateSkateFate815)! Chapters will consist of different days, maybe a full week, of Chlark non-dates. They're almost like mini-one shots. Also, I'm going to start adding dates to chapters so that you can keep track of the time and see how many days are left until the "big day". According to answers., the last day of summer is the first day of fall- September 22nd. But to me, that's way too long, so the "big day" will be August 25, my first day of 8th grade.

XOXO LoVe AlL mY rEaDeRs AnD rEvIeWeRs, n-joy! :D -T

* * *

**Monday, June 16, 2008- Ice Cream **

She eyed the cartons very carefully, looking for the one that would be the best.

"Chocolate Fudge Freeze...Raspberry Ripple...Anna's Famous Strawberry Banana..."

Clark couldn't help but laugh at her, the way she measured every little detail, as if she was choosing the fate of the country; the way she stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she weighed her options; the way she read everything out loud carefully, like a kid learning to read.

"Chloe, I'm _sure_ whatever you pick will not bring an end to your life."

"Shut up Clark," she said absent-mindedly as she eyed the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. "You don't play around when it comes to a dessert you have only ten minutes to eat before you have to go back to work."

"Two minutes," he corrected her "if you continue at this pace."

She sighed and looked at the man at the counter. "Ok, I give up. What do you recommend...Jake?" she asked him, adding his name after she saw his name tag.

He was pretty good-looking, a little younger than Chloe, but not quite her type. He gave her a smile and she flinched a little bit- he was missing a front tooth.

"I'd go with either the Key Lime Pie or the Lemon Freeze."

She raised an eyebrow at him in surprise- not one scoop had touched the two choices; they didn't seem very popular. "Really? Are they good?"

He leaned over the counter towards her. "They're the color of your eyes and hair- delicious."

"_Oh_." She blushed a little bit at the sad attempt of woo-ing her.

Clark stepped forward, a calm expression on his face and irritation in his eyes. "Just go with the birthday cake, Chlo," he recommended, wrapping his arm around her waist and shooting Jake a smug look.

Jake looked surprised and eyed Clark's muscles. "Oh...was I intruding on something?" he asked, very sorry he tried to win a girl like her from a guy like him.

"Yes."

"No."

The two quickly shouted out at the same time. With a wary look at Clark, she sighed. "One small cup of the birthday cake ice cream, please."

She made the purchase, removed Clark's arm, and hurried out with Clark quickly following.

"You are ridiculous," she hissed at him as they made their way down the busy sidewalk to the Daily Planet.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know you were interested in Jake the gap-toothed ice cream flirt."

She rolled her eyes and ignored him, sniffing at her ice cream.

"Hmm...smell this."

He raised an eyebrow in question but sniffed at the ice cream she held to his nose.

"It smells like ice cream, Chloe."

She gave him a quizzical look. "Smell again."

He leaned over the ice cream...and Chloe pushed it into his nose slightly, ice cream now smothered over his nose. He gasped and gaped at her in shock as he felt the cold dessert on his face.

"Chloe!" He cried to her, getting the napkin that was buried in his pocket.

She pointed to a spot on the left side of her nose. "You missed a spot," she said with a laugh, and she hurried into the building for work.

**Wednesday, June 18, 2008- Power Surge **

"Kelly...I have a secret. It's time you should know."

_'No, John! Don't do it!_' Chloe screamed inside her head as she squeezed the pillow in her arms, watching the screen with wide eyes.

Kelly looked at John with curiosity. He hesitated, but began.

"You see Kelly...I'm not from around here."

Suddenly, there was a strange sound, like a big machine failing and powering out, and the TV screen went out. Lights began to flicker before they died out too, leaving the apartment in complete darkness.

"Damn!" she muttered out loud.

Damn was right actually- a power outage just interrupted her in the middle of Littletown (her favorite show, as earlier mentioned). She rose from the couch slowly and felt her way around, stubbing her toe on the coffee table and bumping into a wall she didn't even know was there.

Finally, after a couple of "Ow!" s and a bruise she couldn't see yet, she made her way into the kitchen and felt around in a drawer. Her hand felt a heavy object, and with a sigh of relief, she flipped on the flashlight and looked around.

At that moment, she realized her apartment was quite spooky at night.

She could only see a couple of square feet at a time with the flashlight, and whenever she beamed a light on the coat hanger or a strange object, she jumped with fear, only to find it just a piece of furniture and not the crazed serial killer she had imagined.

She checked the phone lines- dead.

She flipped a light switch- dead.

She opened the fridge and tried to power on the TV- all dead.

A huge clap of thunder mocked her attempts and the crazy storm that had been raging on since Littletown came on began to pound against the windows with passion.

She shuddered- storms were never her thing, and now one had taken down the power of probably all of Metropolis. She peered through the big glass sliding door of balcony to see if she could catch a glimpse of lights from the many (usually) illuminated buildings and signs of her city.

Nothing.

Her city was submerged in complete darkness.

"Damn!" she muttered again.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and she caught a glimpse of a figure on her balcony, shrouded in the night. She stifled a scream and cut out her flashlight immediately, as her heart stuttered and finally skidded to a stop.

Someone was trying to break into her home.

"Shit!" she whispered as she got on all fours and crawled behind the couch, her breathing erratic, and her heart began to pound.

It was probably that murderer she had reported on and put behind bars last week, now back for revenge. Or the serial killer. That crime boss from May...

"Chloe?" a muffled sound called to her.

Double shit- he knew her name! She held her breath and shut her eyes.

"Chloe? You there? It's me, Clark..." the figure called once more, and a round of thunder droned out the whoosh of air released from her lungs. She got up from he floor shakily and switched back on the flashlight.

With an unsteady hand, she slid open the balcony door and glared at the man who was now invisible in the beam of her flashlight. He stepped inside and shook his wet hair.

That's when she noticed his soaked, tight tee and jeans. Another shudder of something entirely different went through her body.

"_Geez_ Clark, have you ever heard of the front door?" she said angrily, peering at him in the light.

"I heard on the news that the storm had taken out the power of Metropolis. I tried calling, and the dial tone freaked me out...I needed to know you were okay. It seemed easier for me to see whether you were tied up and gagged if I went through your balcony. And then I saw you crawl away like you saw a ghost..." he told her, an amused look on his face.

"You are paranoid as _hell_, Clark Kent. And I'm fine...so yeah." She closed the balcony door behind him.

"So I guess we're stuck here in the dark until the power comes back on..." he said, trailing off.

"_I'm_ stuck here."

A look of hurt came across his features. "I'm not going to leave you here, Chloe. You're afraid of storms."

She sighed. "I'd be fine alone, Clark. But you forgot that I like the rain, just not the extra crap that comes with it."

Irritation furrowed his features, and he slid open the door and stepped back outside. "Fine then...I'll leave. Enjoy your rain."

She quickly stepped outside with him, grabbing his arm. "No! Don't go," she pleaded. His expression was unreadable as he looked at him for a moment. Finally, he spoke.

"You're getting all soaked," he observed as the rain flooded down on her, wetting her hair and soaking through her clothes.

She smiled at him. "I'm almost _positive_ you don't mind, Clark."

He turned a furious shade of deep red and looked away to hide his embarrassed expression. She laughed at him and went to stand in front of him.

"Actually, you're right Clark," she said, her voice as seductive as she could manage with the rain pounding loudly. "I _am_ wet...so wet." She pushed her chest against him as she moved closer, licking the rain off her lips.

He backed away slowly, and she straightened up, laughing at his discomfort. "You are too easy, Clark K-" she said, beginning to tease him, but she was abruptly cut off by his lips.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, and she couldn't help the moan that erupted in her throat. Gaining composure, she pulled away and pushed his chest.

"Clark!" she whined.

He grinned at her. "You are too easy, Chloe Sullivan."

She lost her anger and laughed, pushing him away.

**Friday, June 20, 2008-This Is _So_** **Not A Date**

"Hey," he said to Chloe, a little surprised at the no-notice visit. He opened up the screen door and stepped out the way so she could enter.

"Hey Clark. I just wanted to stop by and give you something," she told him as she stepped inside.

Disapproval was painted on his features. "You didn't have to drive two hours out here just to give me something, Chloe- especially when the roads are still slick. I could've came to you."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you want your 'something' or not?" she said impatiently, pulling something out of her purse and hiding it behind her back.

"Yes please," he teased her, and she stuck out her tongue.

She took a deep breath. "Before I give you this, I need to make a couple of major points very clear," she told him sternly, looking him in the eye. "This is not a date. This will not _be_ a date. There is no way you could make this _into_ a date. And you are _not_ coming as my date. If anyone asks, we are not dating. Understood?"

He just shrugged. "Promise me, Clark," she whined to him.

He sighed. "Promise," he muttered.

She sighed in relief and smiled. "Good. Secondly...this is formal. You're wearing a tux. No jeans, no flannel, and nothing ripped or patched up. Promise me," she repeated sternly.

"Promise."

"And lastly...Lex Luthor will be attending, so put on a good face. No trying to zap him with your heat vision. Please, Clark. Promise me," she begged him softly.

"Promise."

She smiled at him. "Good." She held out an off-white envelope and he received it eagerly, tearing it open with haste.

It took him two seconds exactly to read the invitation before his eyebrows furrowed. "You want me to be your date to the Daily Planet Charity Fundraiser?"

She sighed and looked at him angrily. "Not a date, Clark! You promised!"

He shrugged. "Sure. I'll go. Whatever."

"Good," she said matter-of-factly. He turned to leave the hall and made his way into the kitchen to make lunch.

"Oh and Clark?" she called to him before he disappeared in the doorway. He turned and looked at her. "I'll rub Kryptonite on my lips and put little flecks of it in my lipstick, so help me God I will if you cannot control yourself," she threatened, her voice low and menacing.

He smirked at her. "Kryptonite doesn't exactly kill me at first touch, Chloe."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but I could possibly paralyze you with one kiss."

He scoffed at her. "You're a good kisser Chloe, but you're not _that_ good." He disappeared into the next room.

A gasp came out of her as she stared- wide eyed and mouth open with shock- at the spot where he once stood. '_I thought I was always pretty good...'_ she thought to herself in shock. Fury washed over her and she marched into the kitchen where he stood over the sink.

She stood right behind him and cleared her throat, anger over her expression. He turned to see what she wanted, and in that moment, so much shock came over him he could barely register what was happening.

Chloe kissed him.

She grabbed his face in his hands and pushed her body against him, so hard his lower back was against the counter. Her lips moved against his, her tongue pushing into his mouth. She heard him moan a little bit as her hands found their way down his face gently, trailing down his neck. I don't know how it was possible, but she pulled him even closer.

She began to kiss the corner of his mouth, then trailed down his jaw, before she stopped at his ear.

"Yeah, I know...that was amazing." she whispered in his ear, a little breathless, but that only increased the level of seduction.

She pulled away a bit, a breathless, smug look on his face, and she realized he wasn't even breathing. He was staring at her, his face in shock.

Paralyzed.

She just smirked at him. "Cherish it- it's the last kiss you'll be getting from me." She left him there and walked away, heading to the entry way. "Pick me up Saturday at 7, and don't be late," she called over her shoulder, and she left.

The sound of the front door shutting closed snapped him out of his catatonic state, and he blinked a little bit.

"Damn," was all he could manage to say.

Yeah, he'd remember that for awhile.

Clark was wrong- she really _was_ that good.

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**Author's Note:** So we see Chloe beginning to relax- warm up to the idea, perhaps. Light? Too light? Not light enough? You know how much I love your opinion, so leave me a review. I need to know how bad or good this is, and if you thought my long author's note was confusing. Leave a review, get a response. I like the format I wrote this in- I think I'll stick with the dating and all that. The charity banquet is soon to come in the next chapter. XOXO Love all my readers and ('specially) reviewers! :D


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Yeah, okay. No long, boring author's note this time. XOXO Love all my readers and reviewers- enjoy! XD

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**Saturday June 21, 2008- This Is _Still _Not a Date (I Think)**

"You look beautiful," Clark commented, looking at her out of the corner of his eye once more.

"Thank you," Chloe said politely, working hard to keep friendly air.

If Clark couldn't resist her in the middle of a storm, soaked from the pouring rain, she _seriously_ doubted he would be playing fair tonight in a dress like this.

She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Clark Kent wanted her. It was even _more_ mind-blowing that he was actually trying to win her over. She felt a little guilty, denying him all the time when he was willing to give up every Lana-based thought and feeling just for her.

But that was just it- she didn't want him having to erase a piece of his heart, just so she could have all of it. She wanted to be with him because they belonged together, not because she was the only love he had left now that Lana was out of the picture.

And maybe if it hadn't taken Lana bashing his heart in to finally have him want her, she would've accepted his attempts much, much sooner.

She walked carefully down the stairs to the lobby and ot of the doors, only to have Clark jump in front of her to open up the passenger door of a shiny, black Lexus. Clark noticed the confusion in her expression and explained.

"I rented a car, since I didn't think you'd want to roll up to the Metropolis Plaza in the old truck or a Yariss- no offense."

There was no offense taken- in fact, it was pretty much the complete opposite of that. Her heart melted with compassion and she felt even more guilty for denying someone so caring and quick to make her happy.

Someone who tried so hard...

She smiled and bit her lip as she climbed inside and waited for him to get in the driver's seat.

"You didn't have to do that Clark; I wouldn't have minded. Really."

He just shrugged and started up the engine. "I would've- it would've ruined the affect you're going to have on the entire city."

She blushed and rolled her eyes a little bit. "Well then, thank you."

He just gave her a smile and started down the road. They rode in a comfortable silence as music drifted softly in the car. Maybe it was time for her to give up. Maybe it was time to just crack the shell around her heart and let it go...

Maybe...

"So do I get at least a dance?"

She gave him a half-smile. "You can have as many dances as you want, Clark," she insisted.

He beamed at her through the darkness of the car, and she sighed contentedly.

"Let's just have fun tonight, Clark. Okay?"

He put on a look of fake-shock. "Does this mean I might get an end-of-the night kiss?"

Ok, never mind. There'd be no giving up tonight for her.

She rolled her eyes. "That's what people on _dates_ do Clark, and this is not a date," she reminded him warningly.

He raised his eyebrows up for a split second and smirked. "Well, good luck with explaining that to your co-workers."

Chloe glared at his dim face through the lack of light. "Thanks, but I won't need it. Trust me."

"Wll then let's just have fun tonight, okay?" he teased, mocking her.

"Asshole," she muttered.

"I love you too, Chloe."

They finally reached their destination after a couple more minutes, a grand building, classic and lit up with lots of light. Chloe watched the many people moving in and out of the building, and her stomach squirmed at the thought of Clark, dragging her around table to table testifying the wonderful relatioship they shared and kissing her endlessly as he spun her around on the dance floor.

She took in a deep a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Just...be nice Clark, okay?" she hissed to him through her smiling mouth as they handed over the car to the valet.

"Nothing but," he said through his own smile, which was much more genuine as he guided her through the busy horde of people out front with an arm around her waist.

She sighed and decided not to pull it off- there'd be no way she'd fight him and his advances at an event like this.

After showing some I.D at the door, they went inside to the glorious ballroom where the even was held. With the atmosphere so beautiful, the dance floor so spectacular, and the people so graceful, she couldn't help but squirm as many of her co-workers eyed her appearance and her date, some with awe, but most with distain, jealousy and criticism.

"You'll be fine- you look amazing," he whispered in her ear and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Jealousy- that was _definately_ the look she was getting from the people surrounding her. For once, she was grateful for his advances; they would come in handy when she came to those who would question if they were going steady of not with an air of snobiness as a wedding or engagement ring glistened on their finger.

She smiled into the kiss with a little bit of guilt- yes, she was using him just so she didn't look as pathetically single as she really was.

Oh well.

"You never told me _Smallville_ was taking you, Chlo," a voice full of cheerful sarcasm called to Chloe from behind her.

They spun around only to face Lois Lane in a nice little cocktail dress with her gloved hands on her hips and a half-smile on her face.

"It's okay Lois, I'll save you a dance, too," Clark, teased, and Lois rolled her eyes.

"I'll pass...you look amazing, Chloe," Lois noted, pulling her into a hug. Chloe returned the hug.

"You're not so bad yourself- did you ever get Oliver to escort you?"

Lois wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Yeah...he's around here _somewhere_. I guess it's time I find him...I'll see you guys later."

She turned to her left to walk away, but she stopped and looked back at Clark. "You look good, Clark," she told him casually, and walked away.

There was something about Lois that made Chloe want to tighten the arm that was around her waist, to do something that said 'You can't have him,'...It was something that made her compliment seem genuine- was that a glimmer of jealousy in her eyes, too?

"That was weird," Clark said quietly, almost to himself.

Chloe agreed. "Yeah, it was..."

He shrugged the strange mood off and held his hand out, intending for her to take it.

"Would you like to dance?"

"No," she said simply, as if she was stating the weather, and Clark scoweled disappointedly at her.

"We can't just stand here all night, Chloe. I'm sure you want to do _something_," he pressed.

"Mhmm."

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Do you want a drink?"

"No thank you."

"Are you going to be like this all night?"

Chloe smiled slyly at him. "Maybe."

And in the blink of an eye, Clark whisked her away to the dance floor. He held her closely, careful not to let her get away without her having to fight him off (something that would cause a scene, surely), yet comfortably enough to where she could possibly forgive him and enjoy the moment.

Well, possibly.

"Clark!" she hissed at him through her teeth, low enough to where only he should hear it.

"Yes?"

She growled at him. "What are you doing?"

He smiled softly at her, a way that was no longer amused or teasing, but truly genuine. "I'm enjoying myself."

It all rushed out of her- all the resentment, the embarassment, the shock, the feeling that she should be hiding somewhere behind the giant globe-shaped ice sculpture- and for once in a long time, she felt comfortable and content with letting him hold her.

"Don't get used to this," she teased as she moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, her chest softly brushing against his.

He felt his heart begin to beat faster- funny how it always did that when he got around her- as his arms accepted her, pulling tighter around her slender waist, fighting to keep her just like that forever.

He knew there were glitches and errors in his "master plan". It was not an unknown fact that they had about a 60 chance of actually staying together longer than he did with Lana, or anyone else, but determination could raise the statistics, right?

His determination, he decided, would change everything.

"So if I said yes, right here, right now, tonight...what would you do?" she whispered casually in his ear, relishing the way he quivered slightly under the power of seduction she never knew she posessed.

"Depends...are you actually planning on it or are you just wanting to ruin the surprise?"

She pulled away from his shoulder to face him. "Depends...are you expecting me to say yes, Clark? Because if I did, I'd lose our friendship, a friendship I could probably never get back if things didn't go the way we wanted them to. And if I didn't, I'd lose everything."

He gave her a weak smile. "I'd never let that happen," he told her quietly, but she remained serious.

"What if you wanted it to?"

His lovely features clouded over with frustration. "Really, Chloe, do you honestly think you're still the last person I think about at night? That I would _want_ to end everything we have between us?"

She didn't answer.

"Because you're the first I think about. The beginning, the middle, the end, and sometimes I wonder what would happen to me if I didn't win- if I didn't get to keep you forever."

The song came to an unexpected end, and a nameless, important-looking face stepped up to the microphone on the stage. Chloe slipped away from his hold to go join Lois and Oliver, praying that he didn't follow her.

Praying that for once, he would just leave her alone.

She spent all her energy blinking back angry tears, telling herself that she would not cry, that this was all just a dream to where she would wake up next to him in a better life- a better life without all the drama, the flaws, the attempts to win her over.

It wasn't until she heard her name being called that she snapped out of her reverie and back to reality.

Lois pushed on the small of her back. "Chloe, come on! They called us!"

There was a bright spotlight on her and a couple of other people who were called to the stage, and it followed them annoyingly before resting right on their faces, making it hard to see. She tried to remember what the man had said, what they were doing up here...

"I am so happy to announce these wonderful five people who I like to call 'The Mob' for helping put behind bars one of the most dangerous mobsters in Metropolis City. For that, your mayor thanks you, I thank you, and your city thanks you."

There was a burst of applause, and Chloe smiled for the camera, happy to have something good happen to her. The dangerous effort and precious time had paid off for her, along with a broken hand and cuts and bruises, too. She and Lois had just barely escaped with their lives...

Medals were passed to her and her co-workers, along with envelopes with the Daily Planet seal stamped on the corner.

The five of them all shook hands and kissed cheeks with each other before filing off the stage, and Chloe couldn't resist the urge to rake over the crowd with her eyes and find a melancholy-looking Clark, standing against the wall with his arms folded.

Her heart really went out to him- it honestly did. Chloe felt sorry for all she had done, the games she was playing with him, the way she let this continue for so long...and it was now or never. Yet, she wasn't ready for 'now'.

She wasn't ready for 'either', either.

_'I can't do this'_, she thought. '_I don't think I'll ever be able to do this...'_

Here was this angel who had fallen into her arms, who had been sent from above to this stubborn, lucky, sarcastic little blonde, and all the blonde could do was laugh and shoo him away. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know if she would ever know what she wanted.

And with that on her mind, she stood in an empty corner, slipped off her high heels, and ran out the exit with no intentions of coming back.

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**A/N: **Oh geez...oh geez this is...this is. Wow. This is really old and really bad. I'm sorry I've put this off for so long that you can say it's been a year since I've updated. I'm so sorry. I should probably make it up to you by continuing. I'll try, but no guarantees. Therefore, I can't ask you for any reviews until I know that I'm nice and steady on this. Thanks for reading and remembering this. haha, XOXO douces.


	10. Chapter 9

**Saturday June 21, 2008- This Is _Still _Not a Date (I Think...Yeah, Uhmm, I _Really_ Don't Know. Sorry.)**

He found her sitting at the big Daily Planet fountain in the back of the building, the one they both used to hang around when work days crawled slowly by and she need a lunch break. The fountain that was now pouring water out of a beautiful angel holding a globe, with brightly illuminated floodlights that basked Chloe in it's glow.

She knew he'd find her. He always did. Even when she ran, he'd be right beside her, making sure she didn't trip or get kidnapped, or something so random and unlikely that it made her want to shake him hard and tell him to stop being to paranoid. That was just how Clark operated, and for some reason, she hated that piece of firmware inside of him.

He sat next to her gently, waiting patiently for her to speak. He sensed something was on her mind, the way she stared at the vast nothingness sullenly, looking but definitely not seeing. And so he stared too, wishing and waiting for something good to happen in the world, in this mess that he had to ingeniously caused.

"Why did you come find me?" she said quietly, shaking her head. "Why do you always come find me when I least deserve it?"

"Because you're my date. My best friend. My girl."

She twisted her head slightly to get a peek at him, yet all she saw was truth in his words- truth she didn't want to hear.

"Tell me you hate me. Tell me I don't deserve you."

He raised an eyebrow at him. "If you're trying to make me feel like I'm better than you, it's not going to happen. You're too late, in fact."

She snickered softly and elbowed his granite-like body. "That's what I want to hear."

"Why?"

She sighed. "What makes you think I do deserve you, Clark? Why do you have this stupid mental image of me that I'm some heaven-sent angel here to make everything better?"

"And you don't believe that?"

She exploded. "No, I do not believe that! I don't believe any of this! When I look in the mirror, I don't see what you see, Clark. I see Chloe Sullivan, bad-ass reporter who's too selfish to have any relationship come out well! I've driven so much away...It's not fair that you keep forgiving. Keep coming back," she said, her speech winding down to a sad whisper.

"Why shouldn't I? Chloe, if anyone doesn't deserve the other, I think that would be me. All the messes I've caused, the lives I've unhinged. Here comes this tiny little city girl into some unmapped town of Kansas, and suddenly her life is ripped apart...for the better, I think."

He elbowed her softly in the ribs, and she gave a little smile.

"So tell me, Chloe Sullivan, bad-ass reporter...what would you do without me?"

She swung her heels around on her finger. "What would you do without _me_? How do you know that your life would be worse without me? Why are you so sure that Lana isn't your best choice? That Lana isn't your destiny?"

"You're about to make my destiny, just by one little word."

She scoffed. "And if I said yes right now? Then what?"

"I'm not asking you to say yes right now. Sleep on it for awhile."

She twirled her shoes harder and harder, losing herself in thought. Round and round they went until at last, they disappeared, making a small '_plunk_' in the fountain's water. She shrieked.

"My Jimmy Choo's!" And she immediately scrambled off the edge to peer over into the water.

Clark gave her a hearty laugh as Chloe stared at the fish who swam around her heels in horror. She spun around and glared at him, hands on her hips.

"You! You could've caught them!"

"Eh...yeah, I guess I could've."

"But you didn't!"

"You've owed me a good laugh...consider your debt repayed."

She shrieked again. "Those shoes cost more than that _shirt_!" she hissed, eyeing the oddly-fabricated white shirt under the black formal jacket.

Clark fake-grimaced. "Well then...you better go get those."

And with that, he scooped her up, dress and all, and tossed her into the freezing water. At first, all he could hear were little cries and splashes. Then came the scream, along with a string of profanities that hit Clark right in the ears. Lastly, the musical peals of laughter that bubbled out from her lungs like a long-lost friend, warm and cheerful, and very, very missed.

She hadn't laughed like that in a long time.

She scooped up her Jimmy Choo's, climbed out of the fountain, jumped on his back and whacked him on the head with her shoes, wishing she had a coating of kryptonite on the sharp heels. He supported her weight easily and held onto the wet legs that wrapped around his stony waist.

"Where to?"

She giggled and tightened her arms around his neck.

"Home."

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**A/N:** Sorry this chapter was so short, but bear with me. Thanks sooo much for reading! More to come later on. XOXO, douces.


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